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I got a chance to play with the relatively new Griffin Armament Optimus silencer. It is modular so it can suppress .300 win mag all the way down to .22lr. Here is a list of acceptable calibers you can suppress with the Optimus
- .300 Win Mag
- .308 Win
- .300 BLK
- 5.56x45mm/.223
- 9mm
- .22lr
Now there are some calibers that fall in between like .30-06 and 7.62×39 however I did not have those to test out but I am pretty sure you could suppress those as well.
The one issue I had with the Optimus silencer was learning how to assemble it. The one I got was a demo unit from Silencer Shop and there wasn’t any instructions on how it is supposed to be configured. Having very little experience cans other than my SilencerCo SpectreII, this can was daunting with the number of parts. I tried looking at the owner’s manual on Griffin Armament’s website but that was not much help either. Here is a link to the pdf file.
This is what I got from Silencer Shop when I asked them about it.
The Optimus silencer must be configured for use. The main tube body features a baffle bore on one end and a booster housing bore / taper lok baffle bore on the other.
In all configurations, the five baffles must be keyed together and inserted into the baffle bore of the tube. The taper lock ring is then installed and tightened with the booster piston used as a wrench. An allen key or other rod like tool [such as a USGI 5.56mm cleaning rod segment] should be inserted through the vents in the booster piston to allow the piston to be used with greater torque. The desired front cap should then be installed on top of the lock ring and tightly torqued as well using the same booster piston tool.
From this point the various configurations are integrated as follows:
1: DIRECT THREAD: Install internal booster piston housing using CAR stock wrench, remove piston retainer/piston & spring, replace retainer with direct thread adaptor. This configuration is suitable for use up to 300BLK subsonic, and also rimfire through FN 5.7mm use. Alternately the piston spring could be replaced with the revolution series fixed barrel spacer- but the 6061 spacer is only suitable for 9mm, 300BLK subsonic, and rimfire use.
2: PISTOL: Install internal booster piston housing assembly using CAR stock wrench. This configuration is suitable for use up to 300BLK subsonic, and also rimfire use.
3: SMG / 3-LUG: Install internal booster piston housing using CAR stock wrench, remove piston retainer/piston & spring, replace retainer with 3 Lug rear cap, bushing, and spring. This configuration is suitable for use from rimfire up to 300BLK supersonic on 12” barrels, and 5.56mm semi auto on 14.5” or longer barrels. A strap wrench may be required to remove the 3 lug retainer/ rear cap- a tool is in production.
4: Taper mount full size (included) and Taper mount Midsize (not included) : Drop in Taper Lok baffle with top porting slot on the same side as the 9mm baffles below, give 1/6 turn counter clockwise (to allow taper extension to bring baffle into correct orientation during tightening). Install taper mount extension desired, and tighten using as much force as your two hands can input. The full size config is rated for use up to 24” barrel .300 Win Mag. The mid size is rated for to a maximum pressure application being 16” barrel .308, or 10.5” 5.56mm. To disassemble remove extension and use rod to tap out taper lok baffle.
5: A2 MOUNT (Not included): Drop in Taper Lok baffle with top porting slot on the same side as the 9mm baffles below, give 1/6 turn counter clockwise (to allow taper extension to bring baffle into correct orientation during tightening). Install A2 mount extension, and tighten using CAR stock wrench. To install, remove collar, insert A2 through collar, allowing rear surface to slide into rear A2 groove, slide suppressor over A2, thread collar onto silencer, positioning collar side aperture to 6-oclock to reduce gas blow back characteristics. A2 mount is compatible with A2, BCM Mod 0, Griffin M4SD series: flash comp, single port brake, hammer comp, tactical comp, and 30SD series flash comp. To disassemble remove extension and use rod to tap out taper lock baffle.
Ok that sort of helps. But my ignorance of the parts’ proper names was a big issue. I did not know what parts these instructions were referring to. After a little bit of time and a process of trial and error I was able to figure out the Optimus silencer.
This image from Silencer Shop helped a lot.
I made this video to help others. If I was confused I am sure there might be others.
I did shoot the Optimus with my friend Brian on a bunch of guns. We used a threaded barrel from S3F Solutions as well as the Lone Wolf Alpha Barrel on my Glock 22 and regular Lone Wolf threaded 40-9 barrel on my Glock 35. I tested the Optimus Trilug adapter on a Zenith Firearms Z5RS and it worked but the inner diameter of the trilug was a hair narrower. So when I shot the Z5RS supressed, the trilug would get stuck on the tip of the thread protector on the Z5RS. I ended up removing the thread protector to make it easier for removing the Optimus from the Z5RS.
The Optimus was not the quietest suppressor that we had shot but its ability to shoot so many different calibers is its obvious selling point. We compared it to a Coastal Gun MIMS suppressor. The MIMS can is gigantic compared to the Optimus and a lot quieter when shooting the same round out of both suppressors. However the MIMS can is only rated for pistol calibers and sub sonic .300blk. I shot the Optimus on my .308 SCAR17 and AR15 in 5.56.
In .308 it was really not bad without hearing protection. Also I was shooting ZQi 145gr NATO ammo. However shooting my AR15 with 55gr 5.56 was the absolute loudest of all the guns we fired. The problem is I did not have the Taper Mount for 1/2×28 to thread onto my AR. The Optimus has two major configurations. A pistol length version and longer rifle length version. The longer length is achieved with an extra baffle inserted into the rear of the can and a rifle extension tube screwed onto the back of the suppressor body. That extension tube can only interface with Griffin Armament’s minimalist taper mount brake.
So I had to shoot the AR with the short pistol configuration and while it was hearing safe it was extremely uncomfortable without hearing protection.
I went to see my friend Scott and we put the Optimus on his select fire MP5. I also ran an action match with the Z5RS suppressed by the Optimus.
Would I buy the Optimus? I think so if I was on a limited budget and wanted hearing safe suppression for a multitude of guns and calibers. The Optimus is like a Swiss Army Knife. It is a multitool. It can do a lot of different things but it is not as good as using the proper tool for the job required. It won’t be the quietest suppressor out there but it can work with so many calibers. Now I need to try a SilencerCo Hybrid and see how that compares.
MSRP: $1095
